Social Work License from California to Utah: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board ↗
A social work license transfers from California to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board, verify your California license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. Utah requires the ASWB Clinical exam (or the California Clinical Social Workers Exam). Applicants from 'dual scope' jurisdictions whose single license covers generalist and clinical practice must document a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam to be deemed equivalent; Advanced Generalist holders are pointed to the Utah CSW instead. Scores may be on the license verification or sent by ASWB. No Utah law exam is listed, but endorsement applicants must document 3 hours of ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide-prevention CE from the last three years..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Utah has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and California has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board's endorsement process below is the whole route.
What changes, California → Utah
| California (current) | Utah (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $250 (Statutory LCSW application fee under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.3(a)(3) ($250; the Board may raise it by regulation up to $500). Also: $150 California Law and Ethics exam fee, $200 initial license fee, and fingerprint processing fees. The BBS website refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the current regulatory fee schedule could not be confirmed there.) | $120 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.) |
| Processing time | Not verified. The Board of Behavioral Sciences website (bbs.ca.gov) refused connections throughout 2026-09-27, so its published processing times could not be read. | DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time. |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) | Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Utah sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Utah's current requirements on the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an LCSW (or DOPL-designated equivalent) in good standing for at least one year in a jurisdiction DOPL deems equivalent, or document 4,000 hours of lawful practice with at least 1,000 in mental health therapy.
- Submit official primary-source verification of each license used to qualify.
- Submit official verification of a passing ASWB exam (Clinical for dual-scope jurisdictions).
- Document 3 hours of professional ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide prevention CE completed within the last three years.
- Complete the FBI and BCI fingerprint file searches billed on the fee schedule.
- Pay the fees ($120 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.)) and allow DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Utah accept a California social work license?
A social work license transfers from California to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board, verify your California license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. Utah requires the ASWB Clinical exam (or the California Clinical Social Workers Exam). Applicants from 'dual scope' jurisdictions whose single license covers generalist and clinical practice must document a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam to be deemed equivalent; Advanced Generalist holders are pointed to the Utah CSW instead. Scores may be on the license verification or sent by ASWB. No Utah law exam is listed, but endorsement applicants must document 3 hours of ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide-prevention CE from the last three years..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from California to Utah?
The ASWB exam is not retaken. Utah requires the ASWB Clinical exam (or the California Clinical Social Workers Exam). Applicants from 'dual scope' jurisdictions whose single license covers generalist and clinical practice must document a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam to be deemed equivalent; Advanced Generalist holders are pointed to the Utah CSW instead. Scores may be on the license verification or sent by ASWB. No Utah law exam is listed, but endorsement applicants must document 3 hours of ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide-prevention CE from the last three years. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the California-to-Utah move cost and how long does it take?
$120 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.) Processing: DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Utah has enacted it and California has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board is the route.
Will Utah accept the supervised hours I completed in California?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Utah's rule, where the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board publishes one, is in the requirements on this page; confirm with the board if your hours were logged under a different structure.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Utah DOPL — LCSW Out-of-State Applicants Applying by Endorsement (Internet Archive copy of 2025-07-10; dopl.utah.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Endorsement to Utah: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (equivalency map; Internet Archive copy of 2025-08-12) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Licensed Clinical Social Worker Application (v20230629; Internet Archive copy) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Fee Schedule FY July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026 (Internet Archive copy of 2026-01-07) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.17.1 — Licensure of out-of-state clinical social workers (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.17.2 — Out-of-state education or experience (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.3 — LCSW fees (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ASWB — Look up a license (board license-search directory) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]